


Something Told the Wild Geese

by pandorabox82



Series: 100 Ways To Say I Love You [12]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: #12 - Here Take My Jacket, 100 Ways to Say I Love You Writing Challenge, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26528578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: When Erin comes home from WitSec, the only person she can think of to pick her up from the airport is Derek Morgan. Will their reconnection lead to something more?
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Erin Strauss
Series: 100 Ways To Say I Love You [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1460425
Kudos: 1





	Something Told the Wild Geese

"Here, take my jacket. It's cold outside."

Erin glanced up at Derek, giving him a small smile as she shook her head. "I'm fine, Derek, really. After being stuck in New Mexico for the last eight years, it is so nice to feel something other than warm. I am so glad that you weren't quite so surprised that I was living in WitSec for all these years. I needed someone to pick me up from the airport, after all. My children are all in college now, and couldn't take time out of their classes to attend to their mother, especially not when they've been led to believe that she's been dead for the last few years."

"That was one of the direct results of Haley being unable to keep from talking to her family, unfortunately. The BAU has a bad track record with keeping secrets, and if you wanted to stay alive, no one could know, right?"

She nodded as she grabbed her bags off the conveyor belt, adding them to the trolley that Derek had brought over for them to use. "Something like that, yes. My handler, Marshal Shannon, said that she would be contacting them as I move back home. Thankfully, I still have a house to return to."

"How did you manage that?" he asked as she added a fourth bag to the cart. "And how many more bags do you have?"

"Three more. You forget, this is almost a decade's worth of life that I've had to bring back with me." Derek chuckled as he nodded. "And in regards to your other question, David purchased the house when it went up for sale, paying my ex-husband a fair amount above fair market value for it. That was my children's college nest egg, after all."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

Erin detected a slightly bitter note in Derek's voice, and she gave him a look as she placed the next bag onto the trolley. "He's married to Krystall. There's nothing more between us besides a deep friendship, and I knew that from the moment that he chose to not follow me into the Program. There would have been a logistical nightmare if he had chosen me, given how recognizable he is, but it would have been nice to be chosen. I was just more in love with him than he was with me. That's life."

"That sucks."

She chuckled drolly as she nodded. "But I learned to build the bridge to get over those feelings the first year I was in the Program. And now I've learned to stand on my own two feet and be the woman that I've wanted to be for so long. I wish that I could explain to you just how lovely it is to be able to say that I don't need anyone else to make me feel complete. But how are things between you and Savannah?"

He gave her a doubletake as she placed the last bag on the cart, and she smiled a little as they began to make their way outside to his vehicle. "I honestly thought that by taking a lower risk job, I would be able to patch up the cracks in our relationship. That was a mistake, as it just seemed to make the cracks wider, given that I was home more often and we could spend a lot more time getting on each other's nerves. Things just spiraled downwards in the last year, and…we're taking time apart."

"That's how it starts, and soon the time apart grows to be heavy, like a millstone around your neck, and you'll know for certain if there is any possible chance of getting back together. You'll want to make things work because of Hank, but I have to let you know that that might be a mistake," she said as they started to load her bags into the back of his SUV. He held up one finger as he jogged the cart over to its corral. Erin couldn't help but smile as she watched him, finding herself suddenly wishing for something that she could never have.

Hearing the doors unlock, Erin climbed into the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt as she waited for him to join her. Her smile never faltered, even when the loud strains of country music blared out of the speakers before he hurriedly turned the stereo down. "Sorry, I knew that you were catching a ride with me, but I forgot about the music."

"It's all right, I suppose. Though there is better music to listen to," she teased as he pulled out of his spot. Derek shook his head as he started to drive, and she settled back into her seat, trying to regain her composure. "As I was saying, thinking that you have to stay together for the sake of Hank can be a mistake. Alan and I stayed together for the sake of Karen, and then Bruce came along. Same story, and I had Tabitha. And then, there weren't any more children, but we still stuck it out, to try and give them a stable life. It would have been better if we had just called it quits when I just had my Kare Bear, but we were young and foolish. Our arguing made our children nervous and did not give them the childhood that I would have wanted for them. I tried to compensate by giving them their hearts' desires, but that did no good for me and my heart, which led to my problem. My children suffered because I was too naïve, and then too stubborn, to get out when I should have. I am making a massive assumption in thinking that you're like me in that you adore your son above everything else in this world and only want him to be happy. But I think you know that?"

"Yes."

She nodded as she drew in a long, deep, breath. "Then consider my situation, and think long and hard about what your best move forward will be."

"All right," he said quietly as he headed for her home. Erin didn't ask how he knew the way without her saying anything, but the fact that he did set her heart at ease a little for some reason, and she hummed happily as she thought about finally being in her own home, of knowing every square inch of the space she occupied, of precious memories that would come to mind in a familiar setting. She didn't realise that she was crying at first, until she licked her lips and tasted salt. As quickly as she could, Erin swiped at her cheeks, trying to clear the tears away without Derek noticing. She had thought that she had done a pretty good job until his hand entered her peripheral vision, handing her a soft cloth handkerchief.

"Thank you, Derek," she whispered, blotting away her sadness. "I didn't plan on being this emotional."

"You've been away from home for many years. I'd be more concerned if you didn't cry." He reached across the vehicle to pat her thigh softly and she let out a harsh sigh at the touch, since it had been so long since she had felt another man touch her in any way. She had always known that she would be coming home one day, so she hadn't allowed her heart to become entangled with a partner whilst in New Mexico, since she hadn't wanted to leave any part of her behind. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

It had been so easy to be short and to close herself away from the miasma of feelings that were washing over her. Erin knew that she needed to get control of her emotions, before she did something incredibly stupid. "Did you want to get something to eat before we get to your place? I'm not certain if Rossi remembered to stock your fridge and pantry."

She was about to say no when her stomach rumbled loudly. "I suppose that it would be best if we did stop for something. Thank you."

Derek nodded before patting her leg once more, as if to comfort her. It was a tender gesture, but one neither of them could acknowledge, since he was still, technically, married. And yet there was something about his profile that called out for her touch, and she knew that that was dangerous. Even if neither of them worked for the BAU any longer. Because she was not about to be the other woman in a relationship. She wouldn't do that to anyone else. Another deep sigh tore from her lips and she turned her head to stare out the window, trying to focus on the familiar scenery passing by. That almost worked until his phone rang, and she couldn't help but listen in on his conversation. "Yeah, I have her with me right now, Baby Girl. We're heading to Maxine's for lunch before I run her home, if you want to join us. As you'd expect, since it's a huge change. All right, see you in about twenty minutes, and if you get there before we do, try to snag us a booth. See you soon."

Derek hung up without saying goodbye, and Erin pursed her lips to keep from asking the obvious question, deciding to just go along for the ride. It would be nice to see another familiar face, and she began to brace herself to be bowled over by the blonde whirlwind that called herself Penelope. Unconsciously, her lips curved up in a smile, and she flattened her hand out on her chest in order to try and get the erratic beating of her heart under control as they continued on their way. Soon enough, Derek was pulling into a parking space, and Erin drew in a few deep breaths as she slipped out of the car and followed him into the café. The moment her eyes lit on Penelope, Erin felt her heart lurch in her chest, but it wasn't until she was being wrapped up in a pair of warm, loving, arms that she allowed herself to start crying once more, allowing Penelope to tug her down into the booth next to her.

"It is so good to see you again, Erin." Before she could answer Penelope, the woman was placing a chaste kiss to her cheek before giving her an almost embarrassed smile. "Sorry, I just…I missed you so much! I know that I didn't know you were alive until Derek went to the airport to pick you up, but this is amazing. You look amazing! Oh, Erin, thank you for coming back to us."

"Where else could I go? I was like a wild goose, with something telling me it was time to go home. I needed to be here. I just wish that my children weren't away at college, because my heart yearns to hold them once more."

"I can only imagine! You could always call them?"

"I don't have a cell phone right now. I don't know their new numbers. I was going to send an email out to them, once I got home and had everything put away."

Her hands fluttered over the menu as the enormity of just all that she had to do loomed in front of her. Penelope must have noticed how pale she looked, as she reached out and grabbed hold of her hand, squeezing lightly. "Well, I have all the time in the world today. How about I follow you and Derek back to your place, and I can help you put things away and get your computer up and running once more. If we ask nicely, even Der might be convinced to help. I mean, two extra sets of hands is always a good thing. Yes?"

She looked up at Derek, trying to read the inscrutable look on his face. And then his mask fell, a beautiful smile lighting up his features, and she knew that she had to say yes. "Of course it is a good thing. I'll warn you, though, I have seven large bags to deal with."

"Only seven? I would have expected more," Penelope teased as she let go of Erin's hand to pick up her menu and look through it.

"I wanted to live light, since everything I loved was back here. Hopefully. I don't know if the house was bought with all the contents." Biting her lip, Erin buried her face in the menu as she tried to decide on what she wanted without losing control of her emotions yet again.

"I'm certain that everything will work out perfectly, Erin." She glanced up at Derek, letting a small smile flit across her face as she settled on ordering the chef salad, setting the menu aside as she waited for their server to appear. That happened a few moments later when a tall young woman brought over a tray containing three mugs of coffee. Erin accepted the mug handed to her, taking a long sip as Derek and Penelope placed their orders, leaving her for the end. "Is there anything that we could do to help you ease into this transition? I know, I'm not part of the BAU any longer, but I think of you as a friend."

"I think that by you both coming to my place after this will be an immense help, truly. Once I have myself settled into my home, I think that things will be easier. Because I just need my old sense of normal back. I know that this won't fix everything, that I cannot step into the same river twice, but I will be able to have the familiarity in my life that I've yearned for once more."

Penelope knocked her shoulder against hers, causing Erin to glance at her and see the warm smile on her lips. "Well, with two familiar faces, we can start that process a little sooner for you. Now, do you want everyone to know this news?"

She thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'd rather settle in for a few weeks first, to get my feet beneath me. After all, there's more to coming back to life than just getting my house in order. But with time, I'll be able to let everyone know, on my own terms."

Penelope nodded, and Erin found herself content to listen to her and Derek carry on with their sweet banter, smiling at the pictures of Hank that he showed to them. The little boy was thoroughly adorable, and he looked so much like Derek that Erin wondered if he would follow in his footsteps and become a profiler as well. "Derek Morgan?"

They all looked up at a pleasantly smiling young woman, and Erin frowned. There was something off about her, but she couldn't put her finger on what bothered her. "That's me."

"You've been served."

The woman handed a manila envelope to Derek before turning on her heel and hurriedly leaving the café. "What…?"

"I don't know, Baby Girl," he said lowly as he opened the envelope and drew out a few sheets of paper, quickly looking them over. "I guess that Savannah thought that it would be better if we didn't get back together."

His quiet words broke her heart, and Erin reached across the table to take hold of his hand and squeeze it firmly. "I am so sorry, Derek."

"That's life, Erin." He gave her a pained look, and she nodded, squeezing his hand once more before picking up her mug and taking a long sip of coffee. "Though I am glad that I'll be spending the rest of the day with two lovely women, as it may take some of the sting out of what's just happened."

Penelope nodded before poking Erin's shoulder. "We'll need to make certain that Der stays occupied. Are you certain that there's only seven bags to bring in?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But I'm certain that I can think of something to keep the focus on something other than what just happened," she murmured. She didn't know why she cared so much, but the fact that despite being gone for so long Derek was willing to step up and bring her home spoke volumes about his character and his respect of her, and she just wanted to reciprocate that in some small way. "After all, I'm certain that I'll need some yardwork done, or a few small repairs in the house itself. There might be months and months of projects that need a knowledgeable hand to take care of them, and I was never the best with hand tools."

Derek chuckled as he grinned at them. "Why do I suddenly foresee my life being consumed by work and more work for the near future?"

"Because you love fixing physical things, and I love fixing matters of the heart and mind, and Erin needs our help to get her house in order, so we're really the perfect trio at the moment. Almost like the Three Musketeers!" Penelope knocked her shoulder against Erin's as she laughed sweetly. "And before either of you say anything, I know, I'm being demanding right now, but both of your numpties need to have me take charge here."

"I'm a numpty?" Erin asked as their server set their food down in front of them. "Thank you." The woman nodded before leaving them alone once more, and as she dug into her salad, Erin waited for Penelope to answer her question.

"Yes. I know, you think that you're okay, but I know that you'll fall apart the minute you're alone and won't think to reach out to one of us. I worked with you for nine years, Erin Strauss. I know how your brain works at this point. You are exactly like Der in that regard, neither of you like reaching out to the people who love you, you'd rather be all stoic and self-sufficient. Well, that will end now, because I am not about to lose either of you to your bullheadedness."

Penelope ran her hand up and down Erin's arm before digging into her food. Erin sighed a little, knowing that Penelope had read them correctly, and she wondered if she had always been that easy to read. The rest of the meal was subdued, and she hated that she couldn't find the right words to talk to Penelope, to let her know that there was a part of her that didn't mind being fussed over, but it would be difficult to get over so many years of being solitary and independent. "You'll probably have to reach out to me the first few times," she finally said, not looking up from her lunch as she took a deep breath.

"I can totally do that, buttercup. I can do anything that you need me to, because now that you're back, I won't let anything separate us again."

There was a truth to those words, and Erin nodded a little as she finished up her salad and then reclined against the back of the booth, trying not to stare too hard at Derek, but wanting to study him, to learn the new lines that life had added to his face. Still, he seemed to pick up on her scrutiny, since he gave her a small wink and a smirk before copying the way she was sitting, continuing his conversation with Penelope, who was the last of them to finish. Finally, she pushed her plate aside and let out a contented sigh. "Are you ready to head out, Penny?"

"I think that I am, Der. Would you pick up the tab so that I can escort Erin outside? I need to get an address or directions to her place, after all."

"Just know that you can't steal her away from me. She's the only reason I'll be able to get to her home, since I didn't think to ask for an address." Erin rolled her eyes a little at the way they were fighting over her, and Penelope just let out that laugh that Erin had missed before she gently pushed her out of the booth and then took hold of her hand as she tugged her out of the restaurant. "So, are you going to go back to work? The FBI could use a section chief like you once more."

"I have access to my full pension, and have no desire to return to work. While I miss you all so dearly, I do not miss the stressors that come along with the FBI. I want the time to get to know the adults my children have become. I want to be a grandmother when they bless me with grandchildren." Erin cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the lump that had suddenly grown there. "If David and I were still together, there might have been a possibility that I would take some sort of role in the BAU once more. But he moved on, and so did I. You truly cannot step into the same stream twice, and I reconciled myself to that fact years ago."

"I guess. Can I hug you again?" She nodded, and allowed Penelope to pull her into a warm embrace. It was so nice to give herself over to someone else, to let herself be able to feel something other than loss and regret. "Do you like Derek? I couldn't help but notice that you kept making eyes at him during the meal."

"That's complicated, Penelope." They paused next to her car and Erin watched as she unlocked the vehicle before leaning back against it, giving her a thoroughly patient look. "I desire him, in a way that I can't truly explain. I have spent seven long years cut off from all my friends and family. I reached out to Derek on a whim, not knowing if he would even believe that I was still alive, and finding myself relieved that he said yes. I would sleep with him, if he asked. Is that affection? Is that a form of love? I honestly do not know, but if we're truly going to be a trio, I need to consider everything. And truthfully, that scares me a little. It is hard to be a woman, entering her sixties, alone and trying to rebuild her life. At least Emily, when she came out of protection, was so young."

"You're not alone. You have me. And Derek. And who knows, after all these little projects that you set for him are done, maybe you'll both have healed enough to move on with each other. You could be so very good for him."

"What makes you say that?"

"I just have this feeling about you. Call it best friend's intuition. And you know what? I'll have to have you meet the new team members. I think that you'd really like Tara and Matt. Maybe even Luke, though he can be a complete ass at times. But that can wait until you have your home in order. We can throw you a party, and make Rossi pay for the whole thing."

Erin laughed. "You are incorrigible, Penelope Garcia. Here, let me see your phone so that I can program my information into it." Penelope nodded and handed it over. Erin was quick to enter everything that she would need to get to her home before handing it back to her. "Now, Derek's headed this way, and I know that he's going to want to get going. Drive safely, Penelope."

"I will, I promise. And I'll see you both soon." Penelope winked before hugging Erin tightly once more, drawing in a few deep breaths before releasing her. There were tears in her eyes when Erin stepped away, and she nodded before turning and making her way over to Derek's side, unsurprised when he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her over to his truck.

"So, what trouble did Penelope dream up for me while I was settling the bill?"

"Oh, just that you're going to stay with me and get my home into tiptop shape before we have a welcome back party for me that David is supposed to magically pay for. Knowing Penelope, she'll be able to wheedle the money out of him, but it's going to take some convincing on my part to feel like I'm comfortable enough to meet the new members of Alpha team and reacquaint myself with the others." He nodded as he backed out of his spot and then pulled out into traffic.

"Is that what you want?"

"I don't know what I want at this point. Normalcy would be nice, for starters, but I know that that's a hard thing to find. I'm just really glad that I'll have the support of two wonderful friends like you and Penelope to help me find my way once more. I am so sorry that Savannah and you couldn't make things work out. You're an amazing person, Derek."

"Thanks, Pretty Lady." He reached out and rubbed her thigh softly, and she struggled not to react to the touch, even though she was so starved for affection, knowing that this was not the right time or place for them to begin anything. Glancing up into his eyes, taking in the open look of yearning there, Erin knew that the time between them would happen soon enough, and she was more than willing to wait for that time to come.


End file.
